[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 150 (Tuesday, October 20, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2251]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                   A TRIBUTE TO THE HON. DAN SCHAEFER

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JOE SKEEN

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 20, 1998

  Mr. SKEEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay special recognition to the 
gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Schaefer) who is retiring from Congress at 
the end of the 105th Congressional session.
  I am honored and pleased to have served with Dan Schaefer throughout 
my tenure in the House of Representatives. Working together, we have 
served as members of the minority and majority party in Congress and 
have always held principle over politics.
  We are going to miss Mr. Schaefer next session. Throughout his 
distinguished career in the House, he has served his constituents from 
Colorado and the United States with honor and distinction.
  Dan will be remembered here for many notable legislative 
accomplishments. Passing the Federal Facilities Compliance Act ensured 
that those of us with Federal facilities in our districts received the 
same level of environmental protection as everyone else in the country. 
He was and is a major player in helping us in New Mexico streamline the 
bureaucratic process to get the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant up and 
running--and while we're still not there yet, we're a lot closer today 
because of Dan Schaefer's efforts and I look forward to riding shotgun 
on that first truck with him.
  Mr. Schaefer also helped spark the national debate on reforming our 
nation's tax code. His legislation to eliminate income tax raised a lot 
of eyebrows, but also raised the national awareness of the mess our tax 
system is in. I also recall that Dan was talking about a balanced 
budget long before the majority of our colleagues in Congress. His 
balanced budget legislation, introduced in the 103rd Congress, was the 
blueprint for many subsequent bills, and saw its fulfillment in the 
Balanced Budget Act passed by this Congress.
  While I have just scratched the surface of Dan's distinguished 
career, it is a pretty impressive list of accomplishments. Just as 
impressive, though, has been Dan's non-legislative accomplishments. As 
manager of the Republican baseball team, he turned the event from a 
back-alley pepper game into a major-league success, to the point where 
the game now gets nationwide radio and TV coverage, and helps support a 
number of worthy charities in the Washington area. I know I've enjoyed 
his participation in the Western Caucus and the Wild Turkey Club, where 
Members facing similar problems and with similar constituencies are 
able to work through the difficult issues facing Congress in a sober 
and thought-provoking atmosphere. While Congress as an institution will 
certainly be poorer without Dan's presence, I also know that many 
Members will suffer a personal loss from his retirement as well.
  In closing, I sincerely wish Dan Schaefer and his family all the best 
and look forward to the day the Colorado Rockies name him as their 
Manager. Good luck and God bless you Dan, we'll miss you around here.

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